After surviving the horrors of sleep deprivation and exhaustion from the previous day, the next day seemed rather normal in comparison. I had no itinerary, no appointments – all I had to do was show up at Shinjuku Station at 11:00 a.m. Yuka and Junko were going to do the rest for me. =)

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Yuka and Junko were already at the station when I got there a few minutes before 11:00 a.m. Frannie came a short while later. It was my first time meeting Frannie and I was thrilled she was able to join us for the day. Once we finished with introductions, we set off for Daikanyama.

Daikanyama is pretty much how I expected it to be – super trendy, a touch vintage, filled with the cutest little overpriced boutiques, lots of stylish cafes and restaurants, classy without passing off as stuck up, and completely diverse (well, as diverse as Japan can be). It was really a mixture of everything catered towards young people.

Yuka had made a reservation at an Italian restaurant, so that was our first stop of the day. Yumi and her Taiwanese friend were already there when we reached the restaurant. There was 10 of us in total, including Eri, Masako, and Paul. It was amazing seeing everyone again!

Lunch itself was really fancy. Everyone ordered off the set menu, but the appetizers and salads were buffet style. I ordered spaghetti for my main course and panna cotta for dessert. Everything was so yummy!

After lunch everyone gathered for photos outside. Paul is the only Caucasian in our group, (not to mention the only guy), so he completely towered over us in the shot. Heehee.

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After lunch we took off to the streets of Daikanyama. Eventually with all our walking, we made it to Nakameguro in the afternoon. Frannie and I took photos by the Meguro River, which is a popular spot during hanami season. Since everyone was already tired, we stopped at a place called Aoya, which serves traditional Japanese desserts. I had some really amazing homemade matcha ice cream. Later on in the evening, we saw Frannie off at Ebisu Station, then the rest of us went for dinner at a restaurant called Shunju.

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We had a room all to ourselves at the restaurant. While everyone was busy ordering off the menu, I went around and took photos of the room. One wall was completely layered with blankets. I’ve never seen anything like it! (Imagine pulling one out, hehe.) They had some really astounding interior design throughout the restaurant.

However, I don’t think the word astounding really cut it when our food arrived. The food was waaay beyond astounding, it was just impeccable!! Probably one of the most extravagant meals I’ve ever had in Japan. Unfortunately, it was also the most expensive. However, I tried to block that thought out of my mind when I was busy stuffing my face with food. =P

(Picspam – Click to enlarge)

When the bill came at the end, everyone started chipping in money, but they wouldn’t let me pay. I had to chase Yuka around the room twice, only to find her slip money back into my bag. *FAILS* I felt horrible since I could tell how expensive it was! However, I’m so happy I have such awesome friends. 皆さん、とてもありがとうございます！